Nature Morte
by Chrystel Malfoy-Potter
Summary: QLC. The painting was nothing special at first sight, just an ordinary still life of a silver fruit bowl. But like all portrait, this painting too serves as a defensive measure. What lies behind the colours of the kitchen's door?


**Disclaimer: **Much to my dismay, and for many others I am sure, the book series _Harry Potter_ does not, and will never, belong to me. So thank you J. K Rowling for allowing us to _borrow_ your characters and books.

**Warnings: **For once, everything is canon since I can have play with my own imagination.

**AN:** I somehow got persuaded to join the **Quidditch League Competition** so I'll be writing a _**oneshot**_ every two weeks to try to win this tournament. Every two weeks, I will be given a prompt that I will have to fulfil as Captain of the Kenmare Kestrels. The stories must be T-rated (or M-rated if the judge allows it) , minimum 1,000 words and maximum 3,000. Wish me luck so that my team and I can win. =)

This week, I have to write about a **Hogwart****'****s portrait. **Luckily, I was allowed to change the prompt slightly so that I can use this painting instead.

Hope you guys enjoy.

**Summary:** QLC. The painting was nothing special at first sight, just an ordinary still life of a silver fruit bowl. But like all portrait, this painting too serves as a defensive measure. What lies behind the colours of the kitchen's door?

**Word-Count: 1,356 words (including the title). **

_**Nature morte**_

_**Nature morte**_** means **_**Still life**_** in French. It ****is ****generally ****a work of art depicting inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, or shells) or man-made (drinking glasses, books, vases, ****jewellery****, coins, pipes, and so on). **

Taken from **Wikipedia **where one click is everything.

Welcome to Hogwarts. School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Home to one of the greatest school of the Magick of Olde, as well as being a historical location in the European Wizarding World. In every nook and cranny, be it in the lowest of dungeons or the highest of towers, passing through the magnificent Great Hall that was the centrepiece of this one-in-a-kind castle.

Many poets wrote illustrative lyrics about this place, with just as many writers waxing stories about some sort of details. Painters and musicians also created a picture or symphony from such a muse. Hours could be spent about each piece of history, however, it would take more than a mere story to show the magnificence of such a pearl among pearls.

Let us take a walk in-between these historical walls. Entering through the towering Front Entrance, our eyes can gaze upon the Great Hall where lay the White Marble Staircase. But instead of going up, like one would be tempted to do, let us take the left-hand staircase to go down.

The halls are dimly lit with the everlasting torches, casting a glow on the protective suits of armour, while illuminating the dozens of paintings of still life representing some sort of food. These are the halls that lead to the secretive Kitchen (as well as, coincidently, the Common Room for House Hufflepuff).

Now, what few are aware is that Hogwarts has many layers of protection for the students. The most visible ones being the confusing layouts that constantly change by the will of the castle itself, the suits of armours that patrol during the night while being the first line of defence and the ghosts who serve as sentinels as they can pass through anything physical.

The last, mostly hidden if one isn't looking, are the portraits themselves. They serve as the eyes and ears of the castle, serving as a sort of alarm system (if we need to compare it to something of the Muggle World) since the portraits are aways on the alert while being more numerous (outnumbering the ghosts).

Now, earlier on, we saw that the Kitchen Halls had _no portraits of any sort _decorating it's walls. After all, how can _food be_considered as a portrait ?

The answer lays with the genius of the painter known as **Giovanni Ambrogio Figino **(1558 - 1608) who was commissioned to create the perfect guard for the kitchen, in a place where only food was permitted. This painting's simple name was _**Silver Fruit Bowl**__,_ featuring a silver bowl that had an apple, a banana, a peach, two types of grapes and a green pear. Then, the painter infused the magic reserved _for a portrait _onto the fruits so that they too could breath life and move about like any "_human being_".

And like all living things (if one could argue that a painting could be considered a _**living thing**_ and not some sort of still life), each fruit has his or her own personality, traits and quirks.

The apple took on the name of Adama ("of the Earth"), bold and brash when interacting with his fellow counterparts. It lay in the center of the painting, just below the bananas as the towering sentinel of the lot. From this strategic point of view, Adama could see anyone entering the corridor, starting from the spiralling staircase that led to the Great Hall.

The leaders of this merry troop were the quatuor of yellow sisters. Baara ("Flames"), Batya ("Daughter of God"), Bracha ("a Blessing") and Bluma ("Flower, Bloom") were the names of each banana. Baara was the one who reigned down punishment to all of those that dare soiled the Kitchen Halls with their malicious intent of harms to Hogwart's population, using the flames and fires behind the portrait. Batya and Bracha were the ones to render judgement onto the trespassers, while being the guardian angels of all those that needed to comfort of food to slightly heal the wound of being away from home, using the House Elves as their messengers for those particular few. Last but not least was the wise Bluma who watched over her domain as queen, settling any and all disputes that might spring up (mainly from the angry oranges just a few paintings down) while making sure that all was smoothly working well.

The peach was the last of the Ancient Trio (as they had been painted first). The Wise Peer ("Glorious, Luxious") was his name, whose role was mainly to counsel and ponder on any sort of intellectual matter. He was the first one to _awaken_ to his glorious role as defender of Hogwarts, and although he couldn't physically help, unlike Adama and Baara who _could_, he was the one to always conjure some sort of plan just for any situation. How else could the troll find itself on the third floor, far away from the Badger Common Room when it first appeared in the dungeons?

Ganya ("Garden of the Lord") and Gideon ("Mighty warrior") were the twins of the Silver Bowl. Grapes by nature, they were the exat opposite of one another. Ganya was sweet and optimistic, always the one to calm the fiery minds and hearts when things would go to far. On the other hand, Gideon was sour and pessimistic, ready to pick things up just as fast as his sister could cool them down. Their purpose were to act as messengers, to warn the other portraits of what arrived deep in the bowels of Hogwarts, for nearly all paintings had some sort of fruit (generally some raisins), which enabled them to travel without raising an eyebrow to any would-be attackers.

Would you recognise such a detail as an extra bunch of grapes?

Finally, the last of this merry bunch was Priela ("Fruit of Good") who was the youngest among the lot in the Silver Bowl. She was the pear that hang just low enough that any student (no matter how small they could be) would be able to touch her. That was why she was given the important task of serving as the guardian to the door that led directly to the kitchen.

Many students believed that one should just _tickle the pear _in order to gain access to the handle. But one does not simply tickle the pear in order to enter such a vulnerable place just like that! For by touching the pear, just like putting on the Sorting Hat, you give access to the outer-most thoughts of your mind, showing your intent as to why you would like to enter the kitchens where all the food was being prepared.

Many assassination attempts had been prevented for the assassins could not gain access to the kitchen as no handle would appear after tickling the green fruit. And there was no other way to gain entrance to the most vulnerable of places (what with all the food being prepared inside that was served to all those that resided in Hogwart's halls), if not through the front door which was the portrait of the Silver Bowl in question.

But the hour grows near where you and I must part ways. But before we do such a natural thing, please bear in mind this simple piece of advice.

As you walk down these halls, gazing upon the numerous paintings that decorate them, do not be deceived by first appearances. After all, even a _Nature Morte _could be a portrait in disguise, joining the hundreds of others that form Hogwarts most secretive defence lines.

My work here is done as I have revealed one of the many mysteries that is Hogwart's History. I do hope you enjoyed it and will now, in turn, pass this story on so that it will be heard.


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